Is Paris What?

Bright lights in Montparnasse.

Burning It's Not

by Ric Erickson

Paris:– Monday, 14. November 2005:–
It looks like November weather in Paris is settling down to
be November weather in Paris. This means that the
temperature bounces around but does not bound over 10
degrees and in case you are still too warm, there is a neat
wind from the northwest or northeast, to shiver your
timbers. It may even rain, but at best it will be puny.

So, you stand here and look at the map. At the top it
has one of these single Citroën windshieldwipers, and
it sweeps back and forth, dragging mucky clouds from the
northwest, Britain, the Channel, in a big sweep across
France, to batter themselves senseless against the
Alps.

In their wake, on Tuesday, there will be a pause for
partly sunny here, with clouds and blue sky between, and
that famous temperature of 10 degrees. Then without
skipping a beat, on Wednesday, that windshieldwiper blade
will be way down south where it won't concern us.

While we think about lolling in the radiant sunshine, if
that's what it is, we will hardly be tempted because the
high is not supposed to exceed 8 flipping degrees.

Then on Thursday, the windshieldwiper folds up and lies
along France's northern border, while here in the centre of
the world very close to the Vavin carrefour, it may be
quite sunny. Do not, however, by fooled by
imitations, for the temperature is not expected to greatly
exceed 7 tiny little freaking degrees. Possibly ditto for
Friday.

For your tasty wake–bowls and something
to put in them.

Metropole's exclusive weather scribbler,
Météo Jim, presents us this week with
a pre–forecast, many days in advance of the gigantic
Christmas tree move to Rockefeller Center. No, I have this
wrong. It is here! And now!

Rocking Appleballs!

First thing, cut, cut, cut out last week's leafy story.
Start with A sign of the approaching Christmas
season is the arrival of the yearly Christmas tree at
Rockefeller Center. This and its decoration has gone
from a 30–second spot on the news to a 2–hour
nationally broadcast spectacle. No matter what, le sapin
de Noël de la Grosse Pomme is, as a famous
red–covered guide book would put it, worth a detour.
Another feature of the Christmas season is the very Big
Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall. This year,
the orchestra has added a bit of French flair to the show.
It has gone on strike. Canned elevator music has replaced
the stupid musicians. As for Pommeland's weather, whether
or not anyone will like it, this weekend is and will be
warm and sunny with temperatures in the low 60s
a–grad – still too warm. The warmth will
continue until Tuesday when a cold front with showers will
arrive. Temperatures will drop into the upper 40s to low
50s. As for hurricanes, it is less and less likely that
Hurricanes Zeta and Omega will arrive by the end of the
hurricane season *

*Disclaimer – this week,
of the 5 disclaimers on offer, all are unofficially
declined.

Café Life

Paris Is Not
Burning

Some of you may have seen alarming TV reports about
urban violence taking place in Paris so the first priority
is to mention that there has been no urban violence here,
not in the city of Paris.

TV news units from around the world have converged on
Paris and immediately jumped in taxis and rental buses and
have driven out of town to selected suburbs – usually
ones featured in local news three days or a week earlier
– and have commenced reporting about our
troubles.

Through the narrow eye of a TV camera all it takes is
one Molotov Cocktail and a few blurry figures in
the dark to give the impression of civil war. Visions of
red and yellow flares against a black background are
flashed around the world and I get emails asking, "Is Paris
burning?"

'Meat by Night' to match other tasty
moods.

The answer is 'no.' There were a couple of isolated
incidents near République about 10 days ago but
since then, nothing. The police, after intercepting some
dubious SMS messages and seeing some alarming Web sites,
stocked Paris with 3000 extra police on the weekend –
but they had little to do.

If you ask, "Are the suburbs burning?" then I will have
to say, 'they were.' But in the area around Paris, for the
past several days, the unrest has settled back to its
customary level. According to reports of police comments,
in 'normal' times about 80 vehicles are burned daily.

Perhaps this is why interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy
went out to Argenteuil on Tuesday, 25. October, when he was
greeted with boos, catcalls and some rocks and beer cans.
In return he said what he thought of the reception. Then
two kids running away from the police were electrocuted in
Clichy–sous–Bois two days later, and Sarkozy
persisted with his remarks.

I have heard that non–French news has been
treating the Paris suburbs as if they are the world's
latest disaster zone, the week's hurricane or the current
scene of religious lunacy.

As far as is known here the urban unrest is none of
these.

Public housing estates located in the Paris suburbs, or
in the suburbs of all French cities, are where poor people
live. In most cases the buildings are well kept–up,
modern, in landscaped surroundings. Their problem often is
that they were built and designed in the '50s, '60s and
'70s, in tall buildings or in 'bars,' vast walls of
apartments.

They were built on cheap, available land – out in
suburbs. Also often, they were built without much concern
for what makes a community beyond bedrooms – few
shops, restaurants, cinemas, or other essential items of
urban tissue.

Then with low rents, lower than in Paris certainly, the
towers and 'bars' filled up with those who couldn't afford
better. And this is often only with the help of
considerable aid, usually supplied locally from the nearest
city hall. The result is high concentrations of the poor,
often the working poor.

Or not working. At times France moans about the lack
– for example, of building workers, the very people
who build these housing estates. Thus immigration is
tolerated, rather than energetic recruitment of the youth
on hand – whose parents may have built the public
housing. Mainly, in the estates, the unemployment for youth
is far too high, twice as high as the too high rate for all
of France.

Decent housing has been a goal in France since the end
of WWII and high unemployment has bedeviled the
country since the 1970s. Government after government has
addressed these fundamental problems with more or less
sincerity. Where we are today is the result./p>A stand
offering six courses, all standing up.Continued on page 2...